Modern Slavery
We may all be forgiven for feeling that there has been an onslaught of recent legislation affecting our HR and other company policies.
It seems like we have only just got our heads around the Apprenticeship Levy, when the focus then switches to the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) due to affect all businesses from May 2018.
Another piece of legislation to be concerned about is The Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA); Under the MSA, any organisations with a turnover of in excess of £36m are required by law to produce a Modern Slavery Disclosure Statement.
However, it is equally important to understand the Act applies to ALL organisations, regardless of size, irrespective of the need to publish a formal statement.
Simply put, the exploitation of labour and involvement in slavery and forced labour is illegal and we all have a duty to ensure that our recruitment and supply chain processes are robust enough to make it impossible for slavery or forced labour to be used.
There are a number of common signs to look out for and the CITB have produced a short useful video which we have used to cascade the warning signs throughout our workforce and which you may find of interest:
Women in Business
With 2018 just around the corner, our focus is on providing an exciting and vibrant programme of events for businesses to enjoy.
On March 8th, it is International Women’s Day, and although it might seem like a little while away, the planning to celebrate this day has already begun.
At the beginning of November I attended Surrey Chambers’ Business Women in Surrey event with speaker Julia Howes from Mercer. The topic was ‘When Women Thrive, Businesses Thrive’ a global research and solution platform designed by Mercer to help organisations drive growth through the active and productive participation of their female workforce. It was fantastic to be in a room full of women (and men) in business, who share a passion to increase and celebrate their female employees.
Each year Business Women in Surrey celebrates International Women’s Day by hosting a large event with a panel of inspirational female speakers. This year’s event was hosted by Surrey Business School and focused on women in the STEM industry and I am very much looking forward to 2018’s celebration hosted at Nescot College.
Alongside this the British Chambers of Commerce has tied their annual conference to the 8th March too, in order to share in the celebration and highlight women in business on a large scale.
If you feel you would like to be included in the Business Women in Surrey event, please contact a member of the Surrey Chambers team on 01483 735540.
As another busy and unique year comes to an end, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year.
